The mass grave of dozens of bodies, some beheaded, was found by
Niger and Chad soldiers under a concrete bridge on one of the
main roads leading out of Damasak. Azem Bermandoa Agouna, a
colonel of the Chadian army, told the AFT news agency that he had
seen "about 100 bodies spread under a bridge just outside the
town. There are heads here and bodies there, the mass grave has
become like a termite mound."Reuters says witnesses counted some
70 corpses.

It’s suggested that the massacre happened some time ago as some
of the bodies were severely decomposed, while others were
partially mummified by the dry desert air. The colonel said the
atrocity might have occurred two months ago and added: "This
is the work of Boko Haram."

The imam of the town was also found among the dead people.
Witnesses say there could still be more bodies, as the smell of
decomposition around the town is quite strong.

The grave was found after Niger and Chad troops recaptured
Damasak in an intensive ground and air offensive launched last
Saturday.

When Boko Haram gained control over Damasak in November, its
militants killed about 50 residents and forced another 3,000 to
leave the town, according to the UN's High Commissioner for
Refugees.

This year Chad, Niger and Cameroon have united to destroy Boko
Haram, because Nigeria had failed for years to do this
independently. The operation was called "Mai Dounama", after the
name of a 13th-century emperor of Borno province in northern
Nigeria.

The country has announced major recent gains achieved with the
help of its coalition partners. Two of the three worst hit states
- Yobe and Adamawa – have been declared “cleared,” and
the last one, Borno, is planned to be liberated “within a
month.”

Some 36 localities, including major towns such as Bama and Dikwa,
have been recaptured, with just three said to be still in rebel
hands.

The events are taking place ahead of presidential elections
scheduled for March 28 in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated
country and biggest economy. Incumbent President Goodluck
Jonathan has been slammed for his government's failure to stop
the violence.

Over the last six years, Boko Haram has killed more than 13,000
people in their aim to establish an Islamic caliphate in
northeast Nigeria. Their actions initially began as a campaign
against Western education.

The group has recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State
group in Syria and Iraq.